Chile colorado pork tamales. The word colorado is used to describe the red, dried chiles used in this recipe and not the state of Colorado. If I had a nickel for every tamal I helped assemble while I was growing up at home, I would have quite a savings account, lol! This is truly the one tamal recipe that I remember the most from my childhood. The only difference is that I am using masa harina to prepare the masa because that is all that is available to me. These tamales are also called tamales norteños and are popular in the northern region of Mexico.
My mom’s recipe for chile colorado pork tamales was always prepared with freshly ground masa from the tortilleria. She would bring the masa home, 20 pounds at a time, and my Dad would finish mixing it with the salt, manteca and a little red chile sauce. He had a commercial size stand up mixer in his garage. And if it was not mixed in there, he would mix it in a big plastic tub in the kitchen. It was alot of work.
Chile colorado pork tamales, a recipe handed down for generations. All families have their own versions of those special tamales cooked during the holidays and special parties. This is the recipe I grew up enjoying year after year. And since my Mom could not ship them to me, I made it my goal to learn how to prepare them on my own using masa harina. Real, freshly ground masa from the tortilleria is the ultimate when it comes to preparing tamales, but I have to say that the masa harina has worked out well for me over the years. The first few years I was preparing them, I used vegetable shorteneing instead of the naturally rendered pork manteca/lard that is traditionally added. The manteca is more readily available now and this really helped give my tamales a more authentic flavor. I have to say, I have done well over the years adapting to the ingredients that were available to me. Now, after years of practice, I actually find the whole tamale making process quite enjoyable! The best way to approach tamal making is step by step. And not all in one day. This is my best recollection of my Mom’s recipe for chile colorado pork tamales.
The chile colorado pork tamales featured in today’s blog post are from different years. So many tamales, so little time!
Go To End Of Blog Post To See Video For Chile Colorado Pork Filling and Red Chile Masa!
Chile Colorado Pork Tamales-Tamales de Puerco
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 4 1/2 pounds pork butt or shoulder boneless if possible
- 1 whole garlic bulb whole head of garlic
- 1 tablespoon Salt
For Chile Ancho Salsa/Sauce
- 20 medium chile ancho or a mix of chile guajillo or chile California
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic or 4-5 large cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 3 cups pork broth from cooking the pork shoulder
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- teaspoons pepper
For the Masa Dough:
- 5 cups masa harina corn flour for tamales like maseca brand
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups pork broth From cooking the pork shoulder
- 1 cup chile ancho salsa previously prepared and reserved
- 1 1/2 cups pork lard, manteca melted
You Will Also Need:
- 50 corn husks for medium tamales plus more for steaming
- A large steamer pot
Instructions
Directions:
- Slice the pork into 2-3 inch chunks. Transfer to large pot. Cover with 15 cups of water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and whole head of garlic. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook at a steady simmer for 2 -3 hours, or until pork becomes tender. Skim the foam off from pork as it cooks. Flip pork over halfway through cooking time.
- Place the corn husk in a large pot and cover with boiling water. Cover and let soak for a few hours. The longer the better. I soak mine for overnight, changing the water the next day.
- If the dried chiles are extra large(5-6 inches long), only use 10-12 peppers. Remove the stems and seeds from chile ancho, transfer to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Drain the peppers and transfer them to a blender. Add 3 cups of pork broth(from cooking pork), 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper. Blend in two batches if needed. Blend until smooth, set aside 1 cup to add into the masa dough.
- Once the pork is cooked, remove from the broth and let it cool for a little while. When cool enough, shred the pork or chop small. Heat 3-4 tablespoons of manteca or canola oil to medium heat in a large pot. Add the chile ancho sauce from the blender and cook for 5 minutes. Add in all of the pork and 2 cups of remaining pork broth. Cook at a low simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until the broth reduces. Taste for salt.
- Prepare the masa dough: Combine masa harina, baking powder and salt in large bowl, gradually add 4 cups room temperature pork broth. Add 1 cup of reserved chile ancho sauce. Using your hands, work into a soft dough. In another glass bowl, melt the manteca just until it begins to melt. Add the lard/manteca and remaining 1 cup of broth to the masa and work with hands for 7-10 minutes. The masa should have a frosting like texture. If the masa seems too thick, add a little more broth. Always taste the masa for salt. Very important. Keep masa covered with a damp paper towel or plastic until ready to use.
- To assemble tamales: Take a few of the husks at a time, shake off water, if they are more than 4 inches wide, just tear off the side a little. Place the corn husk in the palm of your hand with the wide side closest to you. Spread about 3-4 tablespoons of masa all over the bottom half of husk. Place a heaping 2 tablespoons of filling lengthwise down the center of the tamale. Fold one side in first, then the other side (it should overlap a little on the first fold). Fold down the empty top section down and lay tamale seam-side down until ready to cook.
- Prepare large pot to steam tamales, Fill the bottom of a large steamer pot with water. Insert the steamer. Arrange all of your tamales standing up (open side up). I like to take a few extra corn husks and arrange them on top of the filled tamales. This will help keep them moist while they steam. Turn heat to high to begin steaming, then reduce to medium for the next 90 minutes. After the 45 minutes, I add a little more hot water to the steamer. Steam for another 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 30-45 minutes before serving. This will yield 48 medium tamales. Serve with rice, beans and tomatillo salsa!
Notes
You can use a mix of dried chiles for this recipe if you like. The chile guajillo, for the most part, is also on the mild side and adds bright red colors! if you like to add some heat to your sauce, you could add some chile de arbol or chile morita for smoky flavors. A little goes a long way, so don’t add too much.
Since this post I purchased a Vitamix blender! I no longer have to strain the chile sauce! It’s pretty powerful!
The meat can be shredded or chopped, it’s up to you.
I typically let the meat in sauce cook down until very thick and then store the cooled meat overnight before using it to fill tamales.
The masa below looks pretty thick, but it’s actually quite spreadable. If it comes out looser, that is ok to. I have work with both variations. The steaming process is very forgiving and yields a tasty tamal every time!
The masa should have the feel of a thick, but spreadable frosting.
The meat can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the freezer.
Masa Harina for Tamales. If you have this variety available, it works better for the tamales. The masa harina is very light in color, but the chile ancho sauce will give it some extra flavor and great color!
Tips~ All stove tops and pots vary as to how they cook. Make sure you check the water level so you don’t run out of water. I prepare my tamales in stages over a few days. it makes the task at hand a lot easier.
If you have extra sauce, add some on top of the pork while filling the tamales.
When preparing your tamales, the last tamal should always be the biggest! My family in Mexico refers to it as el tamal borracho, the drunken tamal. It it tied with the extra corn husk and placed towards the top when steamed.
Tomatillo Salsa with Chile de Arbol! The salsa pictured above, I added fresh cilantro, finely chopped, after I blended the salsa.
https://pinaenlacocina.com/tomatillo-salsa-recipes/
I will surely be making these chicken tamales, and pork chili
Colorado tamales. Thank you for these recipes.
Oh good Dolores! Let me know if you have any questions when you get ready to prepare them. Thanks!
Well color me stupid, but exactly what do you mean by garlic bulb?
I am sorry sherry, when I say bulb of garlic, I mean the whole head of garlic.
I can’t wait to make these. Do you ever put olives in your tamales? I had that once and loved it!
Wendy, my family never put olives in our tamales. From Monterrey, it was all about the meat and chile sauce, lol! There are some in Mexico that do add olives though.
seeing those charred tamales has me wanting to do a hot wet smoking to some tamales
Well, that sounds delicious Terry! Send me a picture!
can you recommend a good tamale pot
Patrick, any large steamer pot is good. I especially like the ones that have an enamel coating. They are super light weight and work well. Try your True Value store for that style. They are pretty reasonable.
I also picked up a nice one at HomeGoods for 20 dollars.
Have you ever made the tamales and then freeze them for Christmas? If so, how long does it take to cook if they are frozen?
I have many times Irene. I prefer to store the tamales uncooked, this way they taste more fresh when steamed. I would add an extra 30 minutes to the steaming time if the tamales are forzen. Although, I would suggest thawing them out for at least 1 hour before steaming them. If you are using masa harina to prepare your masa, it does not hold up as well as using the prepared masa from the market or tortilleria.
is there a printable recipe? I want to make some as a surprise for my dad 🙂
I am sorry Caroline, but currently I have someone updating my entire blog and it’s taking alot longer than I had hoped. I do not have a print friendly recipe right now.
Hi is there a substitute I can use instead of lard? Thanks
Vegetable shortening is what you can use. If you have to, you could use butter as well. That is what i use in my sweet tamales.
Thank you so much for this recipe, it is exactly what I remember. I’ll be making them this week. Merry Christmas
Oh good Sandra! I am so happy to be able to help you out with the tamales.
did I miss your recipe for sweet tamales? I would love to have that as well.
I have a two sweet tamal recipes. One here on my blog anf one on the Hispanic Kitchen site. Here is the link to the one on my blog. https://pinaenlacocina.com/tamales-de-pina-y-nuez-con-cajeta-sweet-tamales/
And here is the link to the one I posted on Hispanic Kitchen. The original tamales did have some red food coloring, so they should look pink when they are done. The coloring is optional. http://hispanickitchen.com/recipes/tamales-dulces-de-coco-sweet-coconut-tamal/
When you are putting the tamales in the pot to cook, you mentioned to insert the steamer. What is that?
Sherry, if you are using a steamer pot, it has an insert that goes inside that sits above the water down at the bottom. If you are using a regular pot, I use an adjustable metal steamer and place it at the bottom of the pot after I add my water. Place the tamales on top of the steamer insert so they are not touching the water.
Love your recipes I will try your tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Anna!! Let me know how they come out.
Can I use vegetable shortening instead of lard?
Absolutely you can Nancy. That’s what I used for a while when I couldn’t find the lard.
I remember adding pork chili on top of the tamale before eating. Would you have a recipe for that also?
Have never attempted making my own tamales, but your instructions make it seem real. Looking forward to trying it, wish me luck!
Hi Dela! I do have a chile colorado(asado de puerco) recipe here on the blog that is very popular. Is that the kind of pork chile you are looking for?
Sonia i would love to have your recipe for the chile colorado if it wouldnt be to much to ask im not sure how i ended up here on your page but im so glad i did every thing explained in detail and EVERYTHING LOOKS SO SO GOOD cant wait to start trying these recipes thanks so much for sharing!!
Hi Sharon! Here is the link for my Chile Colorado recipe on site. Thank you!! https://pinaenlacocina.com/asado-de-puerco-chile-colorado/
Omg these look delicious! Do you by chance have a recipe using beef instead of pork? Or could I do this same recipe but substitute beef for the pork?
Absolutely Melanie! Just substitute with a nice beef chuck roast or even better brisket!!
Awesome! I’m super excited to try this out with the family! Thank you for taking the time to reply 😊
Anytime Melanie!
Going to make your tamale recipe next week!! Very excited. Will let you know how I did lol.
Hi Jackie! Yes, please let me know how it goes. If you need questioned answered quickly, message me on Instagram. It’s faster.
Do you by chance have instructions for making these with pork lark and Masa from the tortilleria?
Melanie, my parents used to puchase the masa quebrada for our family tamales. My mom would mix in some pork broth, chile sauce and melted pork manteca until she had a nice smooth masa for spreading. Of course you need to taste it for salt. I cannot get the masa here so this is why I use masa harina.
And if you are purchasing masa preparada, I would just add some chile sauce to give it a little more color.
It’s hard to give you exact measurements on the broth and manteca to add. If I were using 10 pounds of masa, I would start by adding 2 cups of broth, 3/4 cup chile sauce and probably 2 cups of melted manteca. You have to really work everything in really well for a little while. That could be a starting point, then check to see how smooth the masa is.
Hi Sonia,
Thank you for the step by step instructions with pictures. I am making them next week. These are very similar to my grandmothers I wish I would have taken notes, she has been gone 32 years. My mom made them for many years after and now has dementia so she has not made them in the last 5 years. I hope I can do them justice and my grandmothers spirit guides me while I make them in the same kitchen and pots she used to make her delicious tamales. Wish me luck and I will let you know how it turns out. I will also make some with retried beans, when I was little I did not like the pork ones so she made them with beans for me. Now as an adult I realize I was missing out on the traditional pork.
Hi Ynes! I wish you luck and I know both your grandmother and Mom are their with you in spirit! If you need any help just shoot me a message on Instagram or my Facebook page so I get it faster. I am sure you will do awesome! Take your time.
I just made these tamales and they are the best! They are so flavorful. I had one issue though. My masa was soggy. I cooked the first batch for 1 1/2 hours and the second batch for 2 hours. The second batch wasn’t as soggy, but the mass still stuck to the husk. Any suggestions? Also, any suggestions for reheating to dry them out a bit? Thank you and thank you for sharing!
Hi Valerie,
If water gets into the tamal while it steams, this will prevent it from setting up and it will be soggy. It happens to me sometimes when I pour more hot water in the pot. Some people, like my mom, used to put a clean kitchen towel right on top while they steamed. The towel keeps them moist and prevents water from going in. I also sometimes, wrap the tamales individually with deli paper or tie them so the are completely closed. As far as them sticking, I would just bump up the lard when you mix the masa.
Sonia
Thank you, Sonia!
Anytime Valerie! As far as the soggy ones, I would just unwrap them and cook them directly on the comal.
Your recipe is my GO TO recipe!! Excited to make these with my momma and daughters this weekend! Thank you for the step by step instructions.. we all love a good Tamale!! 🙂
Hi Nicole! This is wonderful to here! Enjoy your time with your Momma and Daughters! Merry Christmas!
Hi Sonia! My husband and I made your wonderful tamale recipe today. This recipe has to be the best and most flavorable recipe I have ever made. Your instructions were spot on! I’m sure our family will enjoy our tamales for the Holidays. Thank you for sharing.
Oh Rita, this is so wonderful to hear. I especially miss my parents and family during Christmas. The tamales bring back so many happy memories of family and wonderful times. If I know it will bring your family joy, makes all the work worth while every single day! Merry Christmas!
Sonia,
I must say that I was very happy with my results. I made a few mistakes, but that’s how you learn through trial and error, right? The taste was excellent, just like my grandma used to make. I know she was watching and guiding me. I used the pork loin, which was excellent, but I should have added more lard. Some of them stuck to the corn shucks, but others came right out. I used the fresh masa from the tortilleria and after thoroughly mixing I got concerned because it still felt and tasted gritty. I also used my stand mixer, which helped tremendously and after they steamed there was no detection of gritty. I did all my prep work the night before, which is the way to go. I just want to say Thank you for the great instruction and step by step pictures. Looking forward to my next tamale making adventure.
Ynes, I am so happy that you made the decision to prepare tamales. We certainly do learn by trying. I learn new things all the time and grow from the experience. I know for sure that your grandma was there with you while you were preparing tamales. Bet she was smiling down on you with tears of joy in her eyes. The best way to approach tamales is to prep ahead, definitely. I am heading into the kitchen in one minute to finish some tamales for today! Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year!!
Sonia, thank you, also have a beautiful Christmas and Happy New Year. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
I am so happy to have found this recipe! Growing up on the border of Texas and Mexico, I grew up eating tamales (both sweet and savory), especially during Christmas. Living in New England, it’s hard to find the right ingredients, but I did, and with this recipe, they were amazing!! I made the red Chile pork, and also some green Chile pork. The masa recipe was perfect, and I followed it exactly. I took pictures, but can’t see how to share them with you. Thank you!!! I am following your page now as you seem to have many of the recipes this gringa grew up eating (like the chiles Rellenos!) Feliz Navidad, y muchas gracias!
Hi Karen! This is so wonderful! I am so happy you found my blog as well. I am on Instagram and Facebook under La Piña en La Cocina. You could share and tag me in your pictures so I can see them. Looking forward to it! Feliz Navidad!
Why don’t you just make your own masa de maíz? I’m confused. When you say you make these with masa harina, you don’t mean flour tortilla dough, right!? I’m assuming you mean something like Maseca. That makes much more sense. But yes, you can make your own dough fairly easily. I buy my corn online and process it with lime in my kitchen. After washing the processed nixtamal, I put it through a hand cranked grinder. My 5 year old son does most of the cranking for me while I fill the grinder and push the corn down. My grinder is like 100 years old…but they still make the same exact product today. For tamales, I put it through the grinder 4 times to get the perfect grain size for tamales. We also make our own tortillas, but that is with a Mexican appliance called the Nixtamatic. Gives me a finer ground than I could achieve in my hand cranked grinder. Can’t beat the taste of fresh masa!
I had not found the source where to purchase the corn actually. One of the main reasons I use maseca. And for the volume of tamales I prepare, it just seems easier to use the maseca because I can prepare a large batch of masa at a moments notice. For blogging purposes it’s good too, because I need to share that experience of using it with my followers. Many of them are using masa harina as well for their recipes. They are not going to grind their own corn. I would love to make my own sometime, of course, but for the masses it’s easier to use the maseca. I don’t have all the tools to process and grind the corn either. Maybe someday. Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it.
You stated use 1 cup of chili sauce. Can I sub adobo sauce or enchilada sauce as I have some made in the fridge. TIA
Absolutely you can, you just want to make sure the sauce you are adding is thick enough because it’s going to braise for a while.
Hola Sonia. Can we add the cup of reserved chile ancho sauce to store bought masa? Do you think one cup is too much/enough for 6 pounds of masa?
Hi Betsy,
Absolutely you can add some chile ancho sauce to the masa. That’s how my parents used to prepare the masa from the tortilleria. Just add enough to give the masa a nice color. If you want it more red , you can add a little more. Even though it may seem looser, the masa, it will still work in the end.
Sonia
Hi Sonia! I am in the process if making your tamale recipe and I’m confused under the masa section when you mention the 8 additional ancho Chile’s. Are they added to the 12 when making the sauce?
Hi Alicia, it’s 20 all together for the recipe. Eight for the sauce to add to the masa and 12 for the sauce to add to the meat.
I just made these Sonia. Thank you for sharing, as I lost my auntie from Guadalajara a few years back, and my Nicaraguan husband’s family has their own way of making nacatamales but I missed these so much. Your masa is great, your chili colorado is great!
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and yours
Hi Ashlie! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback on the tamal recipe. It’s near and dear to my heart and can only hope I could do my mom’s recipe some justice. Merry Christmas!!
Hello! I am very excited to try this recipe! My husband’s family is hispanic and I am going to make these for them =) I just have one question before I get started…when steaming them, do they all fit in one pot? Do you stack them on top of each other? I’ve seen them standing upright while steaming or laying down, not sure which is best? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, Best way to steam the tamales is standing, open side up.
these sound amazing and I am going to make them next weekend. I will use my new instapot as I hear they can be steamed in 35 minutes. I made Cuban pork this weekend with fresh corn tortillas and its got me all jazzed for tamales
I don’t own an instant pot, but have heard and seen people cook them in the instant pot. Reach out to my friend Maggie at Mama Maggie’s Kitchen. She prepares them in there all the time.
Where do I find the recipe for the red salsa? I have the tamal filling made and ready to finish today and would love to make the tomatillo salsa and the red salsa you have featured in the photo. Looking forward to this delicious meal. Thank you for this recipe.
Wow before reading this after internet search I decided on enamel over steel so I’m happy about reading this. It was a hard decision. My steamer tray came in mail today. I’ll be making these soon. My first attempt.
Let me know how it goes Wendy.
Hello. Also do these have a good kick of spice heat. My husband likes that so before making would like to know If your recipe has that and if not what to add. Thanks so much.
The recipe is not really spicy. You could add some chile de arbol to add heat to the red chile sauce.
He loves the heat of your braised pork chops in tomato sauce so for that heat how many do I add. Also I’ve been wanting those clay dishes you have in your photos but they are so expensive By piece and the shipping so high. Do you know where I can find them That’s affordable. Thanks. Wendy
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It really depends on the dried chiles for the heat level. Brands vary in heat level. Best thing to do it prepare a chile de arbol salsa on the side and add it to the simmering pork little at a time as it cooks. The Mexican pottery is that that expensive if you can buy it directly at a mercado at Mexican market. Not sure about online, could get pricey with shipping.
Thanks so much for the help. Great idea. Wendy.
I see you mention straining sauce when You mention your vitamix blender but it doesn’t say in recipe to strain after blending just set aside a cup for masa.
Hi glad to have found your recipe and can’t wait to try it!
I have one question. I noticed in the ingredients section for the chile sauce that for the amount of salt it says 2 teaspoons but no amount listed for pepper. So I scrolled down to the directions to see if it would be there. I looked at #4 and it says to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper to the chile sauce.
So how much salt do I add to the chile sauce?
Thank You!! 🙂
Elisa, the salt is really to taste. I sometimes just add a pinch here and there and taste it several times along the way.
Do you happen to have a video showing the process? I made them following the instructions but some came out soft and others kind of soggy near the folded end. I don’t know what I did wrong. Is the steaming time 90 mins total or 90 mins + 45 mins, add water + 45 mins more?
This is my first time ever making tamales and I found your recipe to be simple and delicious. I look forward to getting better at making them.
Hi Maritza,
More than likely what happened is that the water boiled up and over the tamales. if water gets into the masa during the steaming process, they will not set up in 2 hours. I have videos on YouTube and step by step tutorials on my Instagram highlights. I would let them dry out and try to steam them gently not rapidly boiling the whole time. Make sure they are covered well on top. I sometimes take a clean dry kitchen towel and place it over the tamales after covering with extra husk.